Running Head: PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Personal Leadership Development Plan Kristina Harvey Touro University Nevada

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN Mission Statement To be healthy mentally, physically, and emotionally, so that I can enjoy life to the fullest

and have the energy and drive to encourage my future clients to do the same. I believe in leading by example and promoting holistic, competent, and compassionate care for my future clients. In doing so, I can be a part of the change I wish to see in the world. Strengths I believe I possess a variety of strengths that are necessary when working with and helping others. I am compassionate, empathetic, and genuine. I believe developing a good rapport with people can often produce a successful outcome. This can be true for a stranger you talk to for a few hours on an airplane, or a client you have seen for years. I strive to live by the platinum rule that states treat others the way they would like to be treated. Having this rule in the back of my mind when interacting with people helps me to remain open minded. After completing the strengths finder assessment I became privy to some new strengths I was not previously aware of. My top five strength areas were strategic, maximizer, futuristic, relator, and activator. I had never heard many of these words to describe strengths, but once I read each description it became clear that these terms were in fact, very indicative of the type of person I am. Now I believe I have new strengths to utilize in my future career and my everyday life. Growth Needs In this leadership course we were taught to focus primarily on our strengths instead of our weaknesses. Everyone makes apologies for their weaknesses and they are often the focal point for things that we do outside of our comfort zone. Although I try not to focus on my weaknesses, I certainly have areas for growth. I think my main area for growth is I can be a bit overzealous. I

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have a strong personality and I do not get offended very easily, therefore, sometimes I say things and without meaning to, I offend someone. I have gotten much better about dialing those areas of my personality down around people I do not know very well. I tend to be a very friendly person, but I have a much more subdued personality until I get to know someone. This has actually never been an issue in my professional life. I am very even tempered in my professional life and a very cognizant of the comments I make to people. Regardless, this is an area of growth that I continue to work on every day. Leadership Model/Style According to the Leadership Practices Inventory (Kouzes & Posner, 2003), I scored the highest in the category of encourage the heart. These kinds of leaders motivate others and keep the momentum going when everyone else feels like giving up (Kouzes & Posner, 2003). I believe this leadership style fits my personality very well. I generally am the cheerleader during group projects, and when conflicts arise in my personal life. I often look for the silver lining or light at the end of the tunnel to try to motivate people to keep going and have a positive attitude. I can think of several instances where my group and I were so burnt out from the semester and we just wanted to throw in the towel and not work on our project. I would often step in and break down exactly what we had to do before the semester was over, I would always put a positive spin on the situation. For example, I would say I know this is a hefty project, but we only have five days left of class, and when we are done with this project, we are basically done for the semester. Sometimes people just need to vent and get out all of their frustration and negativity, and that is fine, however it is important to put a positive spin on the situation. I believe I am generally the one to do this with those around me.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN Goals One Year One year from now I will be about six months into practice. My goal at this time will be

to obtain my lymphedema certification by attending a one-two week course in a nearby location by July 2015. I chose this goal because I am very interested in helping clients impacted by lymphedema understand their condition and the ways they can manage it. The actions I will need to take to accomplish this goal will include researching where the course is being offered, when it will take place, and how much it will cost. I will also need to make sure my employer will allow me to take time off to attend this course. The outcome measure of this goal will be the successful completion of the course and my obtaining the lymphedema certification. There are a number of resources I can use to obtain my lymphedema certification. I have already spoken with Dr. Frasier and asked her a variety of questions about the course. She has her lymphedema certification so she has been a great person to ask questions and get the specifics about the certification. I also plan to utilize resources in my first job. For example, I plan to do some research to figure out if my certification would be utilized at my current facility. I plan to use the internet as a resource to gain information about where the courses are offered, when and at what cost. This will give me an idea of when and where I can take the course. My next one year goal is to attend the 2015 AOTA conference as a new practitioner, by signing up and paying the fee before the deadline. I attended the 2013 AOTA conference in San Diego. I learned a great deal, but I think I will greatly benefit attending the conference from the point of view of a new practitioner, and gain new knowledge to use in my practice setting.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN The actions I will need to take in order to accomplish this goal will primarily involve saving money. Each year they switch off which coast will host the conference, so being on the west coast in 2015, the airfare should be less expensive. I will also have to make sure I register before the conference deadline. To get the most out of the conference it would be beneficial to research the courses I plan to take beforehand. The outcome measures for this goal will involve assessing what I learned at the conference. Hopefully I can take away new knowledge and intervention strategies. I hope to be

able to gain new insight and be able to apply it to my practice setting to continue my competency as a new occupational therapist. The main resource I will utilize for this goal will be the AOTA website. The website will give me all the information about the upcoming conference, the dates, location, and list of workshops and presentations. I plan to have a mentor at this time; therefore I can talk to him/her about the different courses offered to get his/her perspective on which courses would be the most beneficial for me to attend. Three Years In three years I will be about two and a half years into practice. My goal at this time will be to implement a senior exercise/social group one time per week utilizing community resources by June 2017. I chose this as my three year goal because I have always had a vision to create a community based, exercise/social group for seniors in the community. The actions I will need to take to create this program will involve looking into grants or funding for this program. I will also need to talk to community members working closely with seniors to be able to recruit participants. I will need to develop a business plan to establish a

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN structure to this program. At this point I would like to have the program be once a week yearround. In the summer we can exercise in the park somewhere and take walks. In the winter I would like to utilize a recreation center to keep the program indoors. In the next three years I

plan to develop my vision for this program further, and look into the logistics of making this idea a reality. The outcome measure for this goal will ideally be to assess the participants perceptions of their health, quality of life, and social interaction before the program and throughout the program. The results will help give me an idea if the program is positively impacting these seniors as well as ways I can improve this program. Ideally, I hope to increase strength and endurance, social interaction, and have these seniors find meaning and enjoyments participating in this program. I think bringing an occupational therapy perspective will allow this program to be holistic, client-centered, and occupation based. The resources I will utilize to implement a program of this nature will include individuals knowledgeable about funding and grant writing, and organizations involved with seniors to spread the word about the program. These may include; senior centers, doctors offices, and churches. As I structure my business plan I will likely find more resources I will need to seek out and utilize, however they will be dependent on the direction of this program. Another three year professional goal I have is to travel outside of the country to contribute pro bono services to individuals in need by December 2017. I chose this goal because I believe that everyone deserves quality of life whether or not they have access to resources. The actions I would need to take to accomplish this goal would be to get in touch with an organization the places healthcare workers for pro bono work in other countries. Once I got more

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN information from an organization, I plan to recruit fellow occupational therapists to join me. Once I assemble a team, we can begin the registration process to be able to carry out this goal. The outcome measure of this goal will be to provide occupational therapy services to clients that would not otherwise receive these services. In doing so, we are hopefully contributing to an increase in quality of life, and engagement in occupations. Depending on the population and place we could likely perform assessments on the clients to assess their progress throughout the treatment period.

The resources I will need to utilize will include contacting an organization, talking to Dr. Fecht, and inquiring about funding. Getting in contact with an organization will be beneficial to understand exactly what services are needed and where. The organization will be able to give information on the cost of the trip and possible funding or fundraising options. Dr. Fecht does pro bono work each year in the Dominican Republic; therefore, she would be a very beneficial resource to gain perspective on the experience. Five Years A professional goal I have for five years is to present lymphedema management research during the AOTA conference by April 2019. I have presented an assistive device at a NOTA conference, and I believe in five years I will be ready to present at the AOTA conference. The main action I will need to take to accomplish this goal will be to obtain my lymphedema certification and begin collecting data on the management techniques being done. Many people, even within occupational therapy are not very well informed of what lymphedema is; therefore I would like to shed light on this topic. Another important action will be to inform

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN myself regarding the rules and regulations of presenting at the AOTA conference. This will determine how I present my information and the pragmatic aspect of data collection. It would be nice to conduct a pre and posttest as an outcome measure to assess the

participants knowledge about lymphedema. Some individuals may be very knowledgeable while others may be curious about the topic. Regardless of the initial knowledge, I plan to format my presentation so that even well-informed practitioners take away new information. My best resource would be fellow occupational therapists who has presented at an AOTA conference. They would be able to give insight about the process, effective teaching strategies, and answer specific questions. I know Dr. Lau would be a good resource because she has presented her healthy choices for me information at multiple conferences. The next important resource I will want to utilize will be the AOTA website. I am sure each year the conference requirements differ; therefore it will be important that I make sure to follow the guidelines of that specific year to ensure I am properly prepared. Another five year professional goal I have involves becoming a Nevada State Board of Occupational Therapy board member, representing the profession by December 2019. I would eventually like to get into the politics involved with occupational therapy, therefore, having a goal to become a state board member will help me gain more access to the politics involved with the profession. The actions I will have to take to accomplish this goal will involve meeting the board member criteria. Dr. Frasier is a current board member for the state of Nevada, therefore she would be able to offer insight and tell me what I need to do to become a candidate for this

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN position. I can utilize the Nevada State Board for Occupational Therapy website to obtain information about applying for a board member position. The outcome measure will involve me working toward this goal each year I am in practice. It will be important that I develop my resume to be a desirable candidate for this position. Each year I should reflect and make sure I am still on target to achieving this goal. The resources I will utilize will primarily be the state board website and Dr. Frasier. The website will give me information regarding requirements for the position. As previously mentioned, Dr. Frasier is currently on the board; therefore, she can give me specific insight and advice to help make my application stand out. Ten Years

One ten year goal of mine is to go back to school to obtain a post-professional doctorate to begin teaching in academia at the college level by December 2024. I have always been interested in teaching, and I would like to have the opportunity to impart knowledge on college students. The actions I will need to take to achieve this goal will be to find time to go back to school. I will have to research post-professional doctorate programs to decide which one will fit with my lifestyle at that time. I will then need to apply to the program. If accepted I will have to have self-discipline to complete assignments while working full-time and juggling a family. Once I complete my doctorate, I will have to begin applying for a teaching position to one of two colleges in the Reno area to hopefully begin a part-time teaching career.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN The outcome measure required for this goal will be to reassess my areas of interest

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throughout the schooling process. It will be important that I choose what topic or subject I plan to teach. I would like to teach something in the health sciences field because I believe my occupational therapy background would strongly benefit me in this area. I will need several resources for this goal to be accomplished. I will need to consult a mentor who has completed a post-professional doctorate to gain insight on the process. I will also utilize the internet and school websites to research different programs and the requirements to complete the program. I will need to meet with each college to determine if they have a need for a health sciences faculty member, and the courses I could potentially teach. This would be a long process, but I believe having almost ten years of clinical experience I would be ready for this challenge. My next ten year goal is to begin writing questions to be used for the NBCOT exam by December 2024. I chose this goal because I have always been very interested in how the test questions are formulated and chosen for the NBCOT. I believe that with almost ten years clinical experience under my belt, I will have the knowledge needed to compose clinically-based questions to contribute to the exam. The actions I will need to take to accomplish this goal involves contacting NBCOT to gain knowledge about the test question process. Currently I am not familiar with how the questions are chosen, who can write them, and any training needed to begin writing test questions. Once I gain more information, I will have a better idea and understanding of what other actions need to be taken to begin this goal.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN The outcome measures I will use will include practicing composing sample questions

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until I feel comfortable enough to submit questions. I will compare my questions with the sample questions provided to make sure all the necessary components are included. The final outcome measure will be whether or not my questions are accepted for the NBCOT exam. The resources I will utilize to achieve this goal will be the NBCOT website and Professor Wrightsman. The NBCOT website will have sample questions and as well as information regarding question submission. Professor Wrightsman currently writes test questions for the NBCOT. He would be a very valuable resource to gain insight about the test question process and how to apply to begin submitting questions. Summary In conclusion, the goals I have set for myself for the next year, three years, five years, and ten years are by no means set in stone. However, I think these goals are all realistic and obtainable. It will be very interesting to see where my future as an occupational therapist takes me and how these goals may shift or change altogether. I believe each goal shows leadership because I am taking the initiative to do something to better not only myself, but those around me, as well as the profession of occupational therapy. I know many practitioners graduate from school, get a job, and do not participate in leadership opportunities for a variety of reasons. I however, do not want to be one of those practitioners. I want to utilize my knowledge and resources and create goals for myself to advance personally and professionally. I cannot expect the world, people, and policies to change without getting involved. That is why I am committed to a career of leadership endeavors so that I can be a part of that change that I wish to see in the world.

PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PLAN References: Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2003). Leadership Practices Inventory: Leadership Development Planner. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

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